Valencia Basket (5-3) claimed a narrow 80–78 victory over Dubai Basketball (3-5) on Thursday, extending its unbeaten streak at Roig Arena across all competitions. The hosts overcame an early deficit to secure their third consecutive win.
Dubai surprised Valencia in the first half, grabbing eight offensive rebounds and forcing 12 turnovers, while Valencia committed just seven. That gave the visitors a 41–38 lead at halftime, despite a highlight-reel dunk from Darius Thompson over Justin Anderson.
Coach Pedro Martínez stressed Valencia’s need to improve ball control and defensive rebounding at the break. The home side responded with better execution in the second half, converting seven extra possessions into points and regaining control of the game.
Omari Moore emerged as the key performer down the stretch, scoring the final four points in the last 66 seconds. His fast-break layup and driving basket, combined with timely jump hooks and McKinley Wright’s turnaround, secured the final 80–78 score.
Shifts in momentum defined the fourth quarter, with Dubai briefly reducing the deficit to a single point. Valencia’s defensive adjustments, however, forced missed shots from Dubai, including a three-point attempt by Dwayne Bacon and a buzzer-beating effort from Davis Bertans.
Top performers for Valencia included Kameron Taylor with 19 points and Thompson adding 9 points and 8 rebounds. Moore contributed 15 points, including the clutch baskets that decided the game. For Dubai, Davis Bertans scored 18 points, McKinley Wright added 17, and Bacon contributed 10 points.
Valencia now travels to Kaunas to face Zalgiris next Friday, while Dubai looks to bounce back at home against Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv next Thursday.
